HCILH Ch. 108

Chapter 108: Love

With Hou Mo’s pale skin, just a brief moment of crying left his nose red, standing out starkly against his porcelain-white face.

There were still tiny, fractured teardrops clinging to his eyelashes, and his eyes remained misty as he gazed at Sui Houyu with a slightly dazed expression.

It seemed…that all the lines he had prepared in his head the night before were now useless.

He and Sui Houyu were together.

On the third day of the new year, at noon, he and Sui Houyu became a couple.

They were in love.

Quickly, Hou Mo raised his hand and wiped his eyes with the back of it, asking with a nasal tone: “So, am I your boyfriend now?”

“Mm.” Sui Houyu gave him a firm answer.

The two of them looked at each other, silent for a long while.

It seemed neither of them expected that confirming their relationship would leave them speechless for so long.

Neither knew what to say.

It was their first time being in a relationship, and they were inexperienced, not even knowing how to proceed from there.

After a while, Hou Mo pulled out his phone and asked Sui Houyu: “Can I post on Moments?”

“For what?”

“To announce my claim.”

“Oh…”

Hou Mo didn’t dare say outright that he had gotten a boyfriend on Moments, wary of idle gossip. Instead, he simply posted: I’m in a relationship.

Those who knew him would understand who he was referring to.

Soon, Hou Mo’s phone was bombarded with notifications—comments, likes, and some direct messages asking questions.

While Hou Mo replied to his messages, Sui Houyu took out his phone to look through the comments from their mutual friends.

Deng Yiheng: “Congrats to Senior Brother for blinding that person into liking you.”

Shen Junjing: “Oh my God! Senior Brother, you’ve made a significant contribution to inter-school relations.

Sang Xian: “Not bad.”

Lü Yanxin: “Ahhhh! Is it who I think it is?”

Aunt Su: “So you finally caught him?”

Gege: “Attention everyone, if you’re announcing a relationship while still in school, remember to block the homeroom teacher. Hou Mo, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Less than ten minutes into their relationship, Sui Houyu saw Ouyang Ge’s comment and rolled his eyes, thinking that perhaps his boyfriend wasn’t too bright.

However, on second thought, not many people would dare say Hou Mo wasn’t smart.

He put down his phone to see what Hou Mo was doing, but as soon as he turned, Hou Mo wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

Then came a slightly trembling kiss.

He could feel how careful Hou Mo was.

He didn’t push away; instead, he responded willingly.

After the kiss ended, Hou Mo smiled through his tears and whispered: “Now that we’re together, we can’t break up, okay?”

“Alright.”

“I like you.” Hou Mo said, looking at him intently.

Hou Mo had deep but clear eyes, with a pureness befitting a young man.

His eyes were now filled with sincerity, as if he was saying the most serious words of his life.

Sui Houyu smiled, raising his fingers to indicate a small gap and replied: “I like you a little bit too.”

Hearing this, Hou Mo nearly did a backflip out of excitement.

For someone who never expressed their feelings, even a sudden confession brought joy.

Sui Houyu stood up, stretching his body: “I’ll dance for you. What type do you want to see?”

After a moment’s thought, he added: “Although, I’m probably not great at your favorite type.”

With that, he walked over to the sound system and turned it on.

Hou Mo looked at his phone, scrolling through messages until he saw that Sui Houyu had also posted a Moment just now.

Little Demon Milk Bean: I’m in a relationship.

It was the exact same phrase, with no explanation. Those who understood, would understand.

He even saw Ouyang Ge’s comment on Sui Houyu’s post: …

It was easy to imagine their homeroom teacher’s complicated emotions at that moment.

Hou Mo felt immense joy and dashed over to hug Sui Houyu from behind. “Brother Yu you’re amazing!”

Sui Houyu was squatting in front of the sound system, adjusting the volume when Hou Mo pounced on his back, nearly causing him to topple over. He steadied himself with his hands on the ground.

“Get up!” he shouted in mock frustration.

“No! I’m staying right here.” Hou Mo said, playfully clinging on.

With a 144-pound man hanging on his back, even Sui Houyu found it heavy.

He turned on the sound system, and the sudden blast of music startled Hou Mo into quickly getting up.

The dance studio at the training school had an industrial style, with dim lighting mainly from wall lamps, avant-garde neon decorations, and graffiti-covered walls.

One wall was covered in mirrors, allowing dancers to see their movements clearly.

The song Sui Houyu chose was the last one he had practiced before pausing his dance training, a routine he remembered well. As the music played, his body instinctively moved with precision.

Sui Houyu had been learning dance for many years, starting with classic street dance styles like locking and popping.

Eventually, he dabbled in various styles, developing his unique approach to modern street dance.

Years of training had made his body highly versatile, capable of both grand, sweeping moves and intricate, small details.

His exceptional balance and rhythmic precision made it seem as if the music controlled his body.

Watching Sui Houyu dance felt like an enjoyable performance.

The last time Hou Mo had seen him dance was during military training, when he had danced reluctantly, showing just enough skill to reveal his solid foundation.

This time, in a familiar environment with high-quality sound and facilities, he danced with far more passion.

Hou Mo stood aside, watching with a smile he couldn’t suppress.

Why was his Brother Yu was amazing?

Eventually, Hou Mo sat on the floor in front of the mirror, cross-legged, watching Sui Houyu with a grin like a lovesick fool.

When the dance ended, Sui Houyu sat in front of him and asked: “What should we have for lunch?”

“I don’t know.”

“Actually, I’m a bit sleepy…”

Hou Mo lifted his arms, signaling a hug. Sui Houyu understood immediately, leaning into him. Hou Mo held him close, and Sui Houyu rested his head on Hou Mo’s shoulder, finding a comfortable position.

Hou Mo pulled over a down jacket, wrapping it around Sui Houyu, kissed his forehead, and said, “We’ll go eat when you wake up.”

“Mm.”

The dance studio had no music playing, only the air conditioning gently blowing a soft breeze.

As long as he was close to Hou Mo, Sui Houyu could find the peace he lacked and quickly fall asleep, without needing to choose the time or the sounds. As long as he could touch Hou Mo, that was enough.

Hou Mo wasn’t sleepy, he was simply holding him, his phone in hand. At first, he was replying to messages, and then he started playing games.

When Sui Houyu woke up, he groggily opened his eyes, looked around, and asked: “What time is it?”

“It’s after five,” Hou Mo replied.

“The movie’s already started!” Sui Houyu suddenly became alert.

“I didn’t want to wake you up…”

He quickly got up, stretched his body, and then turned back to scold Hou Mo: “You spendthrift.”

Hou Mo chuckled at the scolding: “And you’re still daring to scold me?”

“Then, should we change the show?”

“Let’s go eat first. I’m hungry. After eating, we’ll head back. It’s too late; my mom will worry if I’m too late.”

Sui Houyu looked at Hou Mo for a while, then helplessly put on his clothes. He reached for his bag, but Hou Mo was a step faster and took it on his own.

He whispered: “Wake me up next time if this happens.”

“Mm, okay.”

“I’ll book movie tickets for tomorrow. Let’s watch it tomorrow.” Sui Houyu took out his phone and clicked on the screen, checking the tickets. With just one glance at the main page, he could guess which movie Ran Shu had recommended.

“Alright.”

When they left the training school and stood at the curb waiting for the car they ordered, Hou Mo reached out and took Sui Houyu’s hand, slipping it into his own pocket.

Sui Houyu tried to pull his hand back, warning: “What if you fall asleep on the road?!”

“You take longer to fall asleep when you’re cold. The car’s still seven minutes away, right?” Hou Mo had figured it out, remembering how long Sui Houyu took to fall asleep in the snow last time.

“Okay.” He stopped struggling and held Hou Mo’s hand tightly in his pocket.

“Even when you’re excited, you’re slow, like when I helped you…”

“Shut up.”

The entire way back, the two of them were unusually quiet, and it even felt a bit more distant than when they had first arrived.

After reaching the residential area and entering the hallway, Hou Mo pointed upstairs and said: “I need to go upstairs and say hi to my mom, I’ll come down and keep you company later.”

“Okay.”

Sui Houyu went back to his place, closed the door, and listened to the footsteps in the hallway. He waited until he heard the sound of a door closing upstairs before he changed his shoes.

The feeling was truly strange.

He was in a relationship with the person he liked.

It started with that person, and now it was still that person, the one who was especially important to him in his life, the one who had become the person he loved most. He relied on this person, and his feelings of love were uncontrollable.

That person who had once annoyed him so much, and yet, he loved them so deeply.

How amazing.

After returning home, he cleaned out the cat litter and straightened the shelves his older brother had knocked over in the room. With some free time, he walked to the door again to listen, muttering to himself: “Why isn’t he down yet?”

He stood by the door for about ten minutes, and when he heard the door opening and closing, he quickly acted casual and went to get water, pretending he was going to boil it.

When Hou Mo entered, he put the small bag he was holding on the dining table: “My mom saw my Moments and knows we’re dating. She didn’t have anything to do this afternoon, so she spent the whole time peeling pine nuts. You should come eat some, they’re pretty good.”

Sui Houyu walked over, stunned, and said: “So many?! Her fingers must be sore.”

“She was peeling them while watching TV. Eat some, otherwise it’ll be a waste. I think all the pine nuts in the house have been peeled.”

“Ah…” Sui Houyu grabbed a handful and ate a few, feeling warm inside.

Last time he went to Hou Mo’s house for the New Year, there were dried fruits in front of him. Among all the dried fruits, he ate the most pine nuts, and Hou Mo’s mom remembered that.

Now she had peeled so many just for him.

In fact, Sui Houyu was easily moved. Perhaps it was because he had always lacked such care, and when someone treated him well, his heart became soft and tender.

After eating for a while, he held the pine nuts and asked Hou Mo: “Do you want to wash up first, or should I?”

Hou Mo tugged at his clothes and pulled him into the bathroom: “Together.”

After a moment, Hou Mo had already closed the bathroom door.

Knowing Hou Mo’s little tricks, Sui Houyu didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed. After all, now that they were officially together, Hou Mo was starting to act a little more free.

After eating the last few pine nuts, he walked up to Hou Mo and raised both hands. Hou Mo understood and helped him take off his hoodie.

He had hands and feet, but he still wanted his boyfriend to help him.

Coincidentally, his boyfriend was more than happy to do so.

Hou Mo, who usually didn’t like to take off clothes in front of others, made an exception only for him.

The bathroom had only one shower head, so the two boys were a little crowded together.

Maybe it was because of this, they ended up holding each other.

In this position, their body differences became even more apparent. Sui Houyu was so thin that he appeared a little frail. If someone didn’t know him well, they might think he was a delicate boy.

The bathroom was filled with a misty steam, silently surrounding them, drifting into their noses during the brief moments between kisses.

Their skin felt the scorching heat of each other’s bodies, and their fingertips danced freely.

The atmosphere was filled with subtle romantic tension, enough to chase away the cold of winter.

Two hedgehogs nestled against each other.

They were both inherently contradictory beings, like a collision between two asteroids, exploding with force.

When everything quieted down and silence enveloped them, they suddenly realized—it was love.

It had always been love.